WEBVTT AFFORDABLE CARE ACT.WHAT THE GOVERNOR WANTS TO KEEP.>> THERESOLUTION IS AGREED TO.REPORTER: THE U.S. SENATE TAKINGTHE STEP TO UNDO THE AFFORDABLECARE ACT.>> THE OBAMACARE BRIDGESCOLLAPSING AND WE ARE SENDING INA RESCUE TEAM.REPORTER: CHARL BAKER PREDICTSIT WILL SUCCEED.>> OUR BASE OF OBJECTION IS TOOPERATE THAT THERE WILL BECHANGES.>> BAKER SPELLS OUT WHAT PARTSOF THE LAW HE THINKS THEY SHOULDKEEP.REQUIRING INSURANCE COMPANY TOCOVER PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS,NO LIFETIME CAPS ON COVERAGE ANDLETTING CHILDREN STAY ON PARENTSPOLICIES UNTIL AGE 26.>> WE SHOULD ADVOCATE FOR WHATMAKES SENSE.>> THE LAW HAS ALSO CAUSEDPROBLEMS THAT NEED TO BE FIXED.SINCE IT WAS PUT IN PLACEA HALFMILLION HAVE SHIFTED FROMPRIVATE INSURANCE TO MEDICAIDWHICH EATS UP 40% OF THE STATEBUDGET.IN 2006 MITT ROMNEY SIGNED A LAWCREATING UNIVERSAL HEALTH CAREIN MASSACHUSETTS.ADVOCATE SAID THE STATE LAW WASMODIFIED BY THE FEDERAL ONE ANDWITHOUT THE TWO PARTS OF THEENGINE WILL NO LONGER RUN.>> WE WILL FEEL IT INMASSACHUSETTS BECAUSE IT DEPENDSON A STATE AND FEDERALPARTNERSHIP.THE REPEAL OF THE HEALTH CARELAW AND ITS REPLACEMENT WITH ANEW ONE WILL TAKE PLACE IN ANSIMULTANEOUSLY.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren is criticizing congressional Republicans for pushing ahead with what she called an "irresponsible and cruel" plan to dismantle President Barack Obama's health care law.
Warren told the Associated Press that repealing the law will have a profound impact in the lives of millions of Americans.
The Massachusetts Democrat said she's all in favor of improving the law, but not throwing it out.
Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan said Thursday lawmakers have a responsibility to provide relief from what he called a "failing law."
The partisan wrangling comes as Gov. Charlie Baker predicted the repeal effort will likely succeed.
“For the time being, our basic objective is to operate with an assumption that there will be changes,” Baker told reporters.
Baker urged fellow Republicans in Congress to retain critical parts of the law.
In a nine-page letter to House Majority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy, he called for requiring coverage for pre-existing medical conditions, banning lifetime coverage caps and allowing young people to stay on their parents’ polices until the age of 26.
Baker said Massachusetts should also be allowed to keep its mandate that all residents have health insurance.
“We should advocate aggressively for what we think makes sense here,” he said.
However, the governor stopped short of endorsing the current law and said it has created problems that need to be addressed.
For example, he said since the law’s implementation, a half-million people in Massachusetts have switched from private insurance to Medicaid.
In his letter, he noted Medicaid costs now consume 40 percent of the state budget.
“I do think that’s an issue and it’s something we’re going to have to work with our colleagues in the Legislature and in the health care and business communities to deal with,” he said.
Supporters of the current health care law rallied at the State House.
They called on people in Massachusetts to reach out to Republican senators in other states to urge them to vote against the repeal.
Even though Massachusetts approved its own version of universal health care in 2006, advocates said the state would still be affected by a repeal of the federal law.
Stephen Rosenfeld, interim director of Health Care for All, said the state has received a waiver to pay for some of its programs.
He said the two systems are now so closely intertwined, the state law will not necessarily work without the federal one.
“We will feel it in Massachusetts, because it depends on a state-federal partnership,” he said.

BOSTON —

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren is criticizing congressional Republicans for pushing ahead with what she called an "irresponsible and cruel" plan to dismantle President Barack Obama's health care law.

Warren told the Associated Press that repealing the law will have a profound impact in the lives of millions of Americans.

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The Massachusetts Democrat said she's all in favor of improving the law, but not throwing it out.

Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan said Thursday lawmakers have a responsibility to provide relief from what he called a "failing law."

“For the time being, our basic objective is to operate with an assumption that there will be changes,” Baker told reporters.

Baker urged fellow Republicans in Congress to retain critical parts of the law.

In a nine-page letter to House Majority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy, he called for requiring coverage for pre-existing medical conditions, banning lifetime coverage caps and allowing young people to stay on their parents’ polices until the age of 26.

Baker said Massachusetts should also be allowed to keep its mandate that all residents have health insurance.

“We should advocate aggressively for what we think makes sense here,” he said.

However, the governor stopped short of endorsing the current law and said it has created problems that need to be addressed.

For example, he said since the law’s implementation, a half-million people in Massachusetts have switched from private insurance to Medicaid.

In his letter, he noted Medicaid costs now consume 40 percent of the state budget.

“I do think that’s an issue and it’s something we’re going to have to work with our colleagues in the Legislature and in the health care and business communities to deal with,” he said.

Supporters of the current health care law rallied at the State House.

They called on people in Massachusetts to reach out to Republican senators in other states to urge them to vote against the repeal.

Even though Massachusetts approved its own version of universal health care in 2006, advocates said the state would still be affected by a repeal of the federal law.

Stephen Rosenfeld, interim director of Health Care for All, said the state has received a waiver to pay for some of its programs.

He said the two systems are now so closely intertwined, the state law will not necessarily work without the federal one.

“We will feel it in Massachusetts, because it depends on a state-federal partnership,” he said.